“Second Chance Romance”
2012 Copyright All Rights Reserved
Chapter 15
Complete and utter silence enveloped the house. The roaring was finally gone, the glass shattering had stopped and the cross winds had stilled. There was now a distinct chill to the air that hadn’t been there only moments before the storm struck. Libby’s desperate cries were now reduced to mere hiccoughs. The storm had passed- and they were alive.
Oliver sat back on his heels, closed his eyes and pulled Libby into this lap. “Ssh,” he softly whispered at her ear. He made an attempt to comfort the little girl by rocking her small frame back and forth in his arms. His own legs felt like jelly and his hands still trembled while he tried desperately to wrap his mind around what had just happened.
A twister. In Hillsborough. It was just a little too much for him to take in all at once. But then the Sheriff instinct in him kicked in and his mind shifted into a different gear. This was his town; what did it look like now? Were there any injured? Did people need to be rescued? Where was Jade?
That last question bothered him the most. He had no idea where she was or if she was even okay. All he knew was that he had Libby, and they were both alright. Now, he needed to get out there and he needed to see what was left of his long time home. He had to find Jade.
Slowly, Oliver tried to stand up. His back foot caught on a broken picture frame that was lying in the hallway floor and he stumbled. Reaching out with one hand, he steadied himself against the wall. Libby felt the dip and sway of Oliver's big body and began to whimper, burying her head into the crook of Oliver’s neck.
Once again he held the little girl to his chest, rubbing his large hand up and down her small spine. "It's alright munchkin, I've got you," he soothed. "I'm not going to let anything hurt you sweetheart. Nothing at all, okay?"
He felt her salty tears as they dampened his skin and heard her child like sniffle. He knew that she was scared; scared out of her mind but yet she was trying her best to brave for him. After a stretch silenced she managed a weak, "O-tay," just barley loud enough for him to hear.
But he heard her and he was proud of her. "Good, that's real good munchkin." He rested his hand on the top of her head. "Let's go see if we can find your mama." Libby clung to Oliver for dear life. He slowly made his way down the hall and had to stop at the door to the living room. The room was in absolute shambles. Debris littered the floor, windows had been blown out and furniture had been tossed around like they were merely toys.
"My God," he breathed out, and laid the flat of his palm to his forehead. He maneuvered Libby around and hitched her up higher on his waist. It took a minute for him to take it all in, and even then he wasn't all to sure what to make of it. So much destruction; so much left behind. It was all so surreal. He carefully picked his way through the room and stepped into the kitchen. There, he was greeted with much of the same. Disorder was evidenced everywhere but the roof, the walls, the bones of the structure still stood strong.
"Anyone in here?" Oliver turned towards the voice and forced himself to clear his head. This was all cosmetic, he reminded himself. Everything in this house could be fixed. Libby was safe and as soon as he assured himself that Jade was safe, he would be able to breathe freely again.
"Yeah, we're coming out," he yelled back and stepped over the splintered kitchen table. When he walked into the foyer, he was relieved to see Officer Taylor strained at the door. "How bad is it?"
Taylor found it hard to speak through the tightening muscles in his throat. He lifted his hand and rubbed the back of his neck. "It's bad Oliver, real bad. Houses that I've passed every single day in my life are just.... gone. They are no longer standing. The roads are blocked and to get anywhere, I've had to ride my bike. I'm not going to lie to you; it looks like a war zone out there."
Oliver turned away and cursed. That didn't sound good at all. "I've got to find Jade. She was heading over to Ace's Hardware when the storm hit. Can you canvas the neighborhood and put a call into Raleigh's disaster relief center? We're going to need some help out here."
"Yeah," Taylor assured him. "I've already put the call in to Raleigh and I'll continue going door to door but Oliver," he started and reached out, laying his hand on his friends shoulder. "There is something you should know."
Oliver immediately tensed. He didn't like the way that Taylor had spoken. "What?" he asked hesitantly, wondering if this had anything to do with Jade.
Taylor shifted nervously in the foyer. He knew that Oliver had fallen hard for the Preachers only daughter. Even now, as he studied him, he could see the angst in his expression. He didn't want to be the one to have to tell him this, but there was no one else. "It's Jade," he said and nodded to the little girl in Oliver's arms. "I'm not sure she needs to hear this."
Oliver's body went taught. Jade. Something was wrong, he could see the reality of the situation written all over Taylor's face. Struggling to tamper his emotions, he lifted his head back to look at Libby. "Sweetheart, why don't you go in your room and grab your shoes for me."
Libby's tear streaked face was pale. "I want my mommy."
"I know darling." He sat her down and knelt to her level. "Get your shoes and I'll take you to her, okay?" Libby's small eyes, suddenly looking much older than her five years scrutinized him. "Do you promise," she asked, sticking the tip of her thumb in her mouth.
"I promise." Oliver touched her cheek, feeling about as helpless as helpless could be. "Be a good girl and go get your shoes on for me, alright."
She nodded her head, and obediently made her way to her room.
Oliver watched her disappear and then stood back up, his face easily giving everything away. "Tell me." he almost screamed. "What's wrong? What happened to Jade?"
Taylor went into professional mode. His initial plan was to relay the facts as he knew them, distancing himself as best as he could from the emotion. "The roof at the hardware store collapsed. There isn't much left of the place. When I went it to check for injuries, she was there and she was unconscious. A beam caught her in the head and she has been airlifted to Chapel Hill. That's all I know right now, but Oliver- there was blood, a lot of it. If she survives, it's going to be a fucking miracle."
Oliver felt like the floor had been ripped out from under him. "No," he said to himself, shaking his head. "She has to be alright. She just has to."
When he started to weave, Taylor grabbed his arm and steadied him. "Hey man, are you going to be okay?"
Was he going to be okay? It seemed like in the blink of an eye, everything that he had planned, everything that he had hoped for was dangerously on the verge of slipping through his fingers. His future with Jade, his dreams of a family may not ever even have the opportunity to come true. "I'm fine," he snapped, working hard to hold it together. He couldn't give up, not yet. Jade was a fighter, she would make it. She just had to.
Taylor wasn't so sure that fine was the best word he would use to describe Oliver right now. "You don't look very well my friend. Maybe you and Libby should come down to the high school. There was little damage there and we have set up a make-shift Red Cross center. At least until you-"
Oliver whirled around, fury masking his face and stepped up toe to toe with Taylor. he cut him off mid-sentence. "I said I'm fine damn it! I promised that little girl that I'm going to take her to see her mama. Nothing, and I mean nothing, is going to stop me from breaking that promise."
"But what happens if you get there and you find out the worst. How are you going to explain to that little girl that her mama is gone, Oliver? You're struggling for your own control as it is."
Oliver grabbed the lapels of his shirt and brought Taylor's face close to his.
"Olly?" Libby stood at the door with a questioning look on her face and hugged herself with her arms. She had already been through so much today that Oliver instantly felt guilty.
He released Taylor's shirt and whispered fiercely at his ear. "She's gong to be fine Taylor, just fine. Mark my words, she will make it for her," he nodded his head towards Libby, "If nothing else." He turned and held his hands out to Libby. She briefly hesitated and then ran into his arms. He lifted her and held her close to him, using her as a life line to own santiy. "We're leaving as soon as we can find a way out of here."
Taylor's gaze flitted from Libby's then back to Oliver's. He could clearly see that nothing he said would change Oliver's mind. Oliver needed to see Jade and he would cross hell and back in order to do it. He let out a tired sigh. "I can get you on one of the outgoing ambulances into Raleigh. From there, you can borrow a unit car to drive into Chapel Hill. After that, you're on your own."
Oliver nodded, more anxious now than ever to get to Jade. He pressed a kiss to Libby's hair and met Taylor's gaze. "Thank you for this, it means everything to me." He looked down at the little girl in his arms and couldn't imagine Jade willingly leaving something so infinitely precious behind. "For her," he softly added.
Taylor patted him on the back. "Don't thank me yet big man. The toughest battles have yet to be fought. Come on, let's get moving."
***********************************
Austin grabbed his crutches and awkwardly stood up. With some careful maneuvering around, he made his way to the nurses station for the third time in the last hour. Bracing the crutches under his arm, he leaned up against the cool counter top and wrapped at it with his fist. “Excuse me,” he said, interrupting the nurse who currently had her head buried in a book.
The young nurse lifted her head and seeing the undeniably handsome Austin standing there, she automatically smoothed down her hair and put on her best flirtatious smile. “Oh my. I’m sorry,” she started, and pushed her chest out an extra inch in his direction. “I didn’t see you standing there. Is there something that I can help you with sir?”
A glimmer of hope built in his chest since she wasn’t the same nurse that he had worried the crap out of earlier. The other nurse had been adamant about not telling him anything and insisting that he just sit and wait. The waiting was driving him crazy. Maybe with this new nurse, he might actually get some badly needed answers.
“Yes. Can you tell me anything about Jade Sampson? It’s been over two hours since she was brought in and I want,” he closed his eyes when a wave of panic threatened to engulf him and he breathed out. “No,” he started again, opening up his eyes. “I need to know how she is. Please. Can you tell me anything?”
The nurse covered his hand with her own. Standing up, she tugged at the bodice of her shirt with her other hand and leaned into him. She didn’t know who this Jade was and right now, she didn’t rightly care. This poor chum was obviously in need of some tender loving care and since this Jade wasn’t around to give it to him, she felt that it was her civic duty to step in and help him out. And with looks like his, it wasn’t exactly what she considered a hardship. “I’m sure she’s going to be just fine sir. I’m going on break in about half an hour; would you like to get some coffee with me?”
Her subtle attempts to impress Austin went straight over his head. He only had one thing and one thing only on his mind. Jade. His last image of her being hurried out of the warehouse on a gurney plagued his mind. Her skin color had been ghostly white, her body fearfully still and her chest barely moving with her slow breaths. “Can you at least tell me if she has wakened? Can you find out that much for me?”
“Sir,” the nurse broadened that smile of hers. “The doctors are doing all they can. When they have new information, I’m sure that you’ll be the first to know. So,” she winked at him, how about that coffee?”
“Huh?” Austin shook his head. “Coffee? What are you talking about?”
The undeterred nurse, began to boldly caress Austin’s bare arm. The look of confusion on his face didn’t phase her in the slightest. “Would you like to have a cup of coffee with me?”
Austin jerked back from her touch so fast that he almost lost his balance. Reaching out, he grabbed a hold of the counter to steady himself. “No! I don’t want any damn coffee,” he practically shouted at her. “What I want is to know what is going on with Jade. Now, will you make yourself useful, get up off your ass and go find out for me- or do I need to do it myself. Your choice lady but one way or the other, I’m going to find out and I’m going to find out now.”
The nurse let out an indignant huff. “You don’t have to be so angry,” she spewed, adjusting her shirt back into place. She pushed her chair back out of her way and went straight into professional mode, reclaiming what was left of dignity. Whoever this Jade was, she figured that she must be pretty special for him to give her the brush off like that. “I’ll go see what I can find out sir,” she said very coolly.
He gave her a curt nod. “Yeah,” Austin snapped, turning his back on the irritating woman. “You go on and you do that ma’am. Then maybe you could come back here and let me know what you find out.”
She didn’t respond to that. Instead, she spun around and Austin could hear the clip clopping sound of her shoes as she retreated down the hall way. Going back over to his seat, he let himself sink down in the chair. Propping the crutches up beside of him, he rested his face in his hands. The last few hours had been a real eye opener for him. If something was to happen to Jade now, he didn’t know if he would ever be able to survive it.
Austin had tried to put her out of his mind. He tried to let her go on with her life. He really did. He told himself that she wanted Oliver and when he took a step back, looked at the whole picture, he really couldn’t blame her. He didn’t have much to offer her other than his heart and sometimes, he admitted even that wasn’t enough.
But he couldn’t let her go. He was in love with her, had been since he was barely a man. He didn’t know that then, but he knew it now. His heart belonged to one person and he would never be able to give it to another.
Austin had made some bad decisions in his life, really bad decisions and those decisions were no ones fault but his own. He couldn’t go back and change the past no matter how badly he may want to. He was stuck living with the consequences of those actions.
Even if he had to sit back, and watch her love someone else, he would take it. At this point, he would take whatever little bit that he could get. He would do whatever it took to hold on to her, keep her close to him even if that involved her with another man. He just needed her to live. Live a full life and raise that beautiful little girl of hers.
Because as he now recognized, that a world without Jade in it, really wasn’t a world at all. He hadn’t realized that until she waltzed back into his life, with her brazen mouth and hard as nails attitude. She was as stubborn as they come which was partly the reason he fell so in love with her in the first place.
“Austin?”
Feeling ragged, Austin dropped his hands in his lap and looked up to see Oliver and Libby standing in front of him.
Oliver lifted Libby and set her on his hip. “What are you doing here?” he asked him.
Austin swallowed hard; suddenly feeling like his throat was closing in on him. He didn’t miss how easily Jade’s little girl rested her head on Oliver’s shoulder. How familiar the two had become. Forcing himself to look away, he ran his hand over his face. “Probably the same reason you are Oliver. Jade.”
Oliver noted the cast on his leg and nodded towards it. “Are you alright?”
“Yeah,” he sighed tiredly, barely feeling the pain in his leg anymore. It had become more of a nuisance than anything. “I’m fine, it’s Jade that I’m worried about though.” He glanced down the now empty hallway. “I’ve tried several times to find out what’s going on and no one will tell me a da-” he stopped himself when Libby’s assessing eyes narrowed on him. “No one will tell me anything,” he finished.
Oliver shifted anxiously. He too had been given the runaround on Jade’s condition and wanted to know what was going on. He knew that Libby was getting tired, but she hadn’t said a single word. She had been very quiet and had clung to him ever since they left the house. He took the seat beside Austin and situated her comfortably on his lap. No matter how much he hated it, It seemed to him that their only option was to wait it out. They weren’t going to get any information until the doctors were ready to give it.
When Libby lay against his chest, Oliver instantly started to stroke her back. “How did you find out she was here?” he asked.
Austin dropped his head back, letting it hit the wall and closed his eyes again. His head was now killing him. “I was at Ace’s Hardware store when the twister it. I saw it all happening, I even yelled out to her but I just couldn’t get to her in time.” Austin continued to talk with his eyes closed. “I saw her go down and at the same time, the shelf fell on me. I was trapped and I couldn’t get to her. For the longest time I just felt so helpless. She wouldn’t wake up and the blood-” he opened up one eye and peeked over at Oliver. “There was so much blood that I thought she was...” he gulped, unable to even say the words that he had been thinking.
Oliver let out a heavy breath. He didn’t know what to say. He had to keep thinking positive.
“Mr. Giles? Mr. Humphrey?”
Both men stood up and turned to the elderly doctor that had just appeared in the doorway. The doctors face leaked with exhaustion. He held a clipboard to his chest but his expression gave away nothing. “She’s awake,” he announced. “If you’ll both follow me, there’s something that that we all need to discuss.”
Austin and Oliver stared at each other, both left confused. “Is she alright?” Austin asked, already striding towards the doctor.
When Oliver and Austin both reached his side, the doctor turned to lead the way. “That all depends,” he replied distractedly.
“What do you mean that depends?” Oliver cut in. “Either she’s okay or not. Which is it?”
The doctor turned down another hall and stopped at the first door on the right. He held it open for them. “Go on in and see for yourselves,” he urged them.
Austin lowered his face, not understanding what the doctor was telling him. Antsy to see Jade, he slipped by him and walked into the small hospital room. He heard Oliver’s footsteps and knew that he had followed him.
Both men stopped at the edge of the bed. Jade still look awfully pale and her her head was wrapped up in white gauze. Her eyes were closed but the monitor beside of her beeped strong.
“Mommy!” Libby squealed, struggling to get out of Oliver’s arms. He set the little girl down on the floor and Jade’s eyes popped open. Her wild gaze flitted from one man to the other, disorientation evident in her expression.
“Mommy!” Libby hollered out again, jubilant that she was finally with her. Her little body crawled up on the side of the bed, determined to get to her mother. When she finally perched herself at her side, she wrapped her small arms around Jade’s motionless form.
Oliver noted the sheer panic set in on Jade’s face and went to grab Libby from her. “Mommy?” Libby cried out, reaching for her again. “Mommy! Mommy!”
Austin pensively stepped around the other side of the bed and bent down at Jade’s side. His eyes met Oliver's and an air of shared uneasiness passed between the two men, before he turned his attention back to her. “Jade,” he asked, lifting his hand to her cheek. “are you alright?”
Jade flinched back from his touch. She didn’t want anyone touching her. Especially none of these people. She turned to the little girl who was now bawling in the other man’s arms. “Who?” she managed to croak out, and then cleared her throat. “Who are you people?”